How a family starts

Chapter 36

Shailene POV:
Since it's Christmas Eve, Theo and I's families are coming for a feast. So is Ansel, Violetta, and their kids (Cameron and Rachel). Also Zoe, Mark (Zoe's husband), and their kids (Chad and Melissa). The Pattersons (Jenny's Family). The Boltons (Troy's family). And, the Nicholsons (Kendra's family).

The kids are getting ready and I'm baking some food. The phone rings. Theo answers it. He's about to take a lick of cookie dough but I smack his hand away.

"Hello?" He says. "Oh hey........yeah.........Really........wow...........okay.........okay then......alright. Bye." He hangs up.

"Who was that?" I ask.

"Just the Pattersons. They won't be able to come over." He says.

"That's too bad. Nathan was really hoping to spend Christmas with Jenny. He'll be devastated."

"I know. I don't know how we're going to tell him this. But they're-"

What he says next shocks me.

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~~THAT NIGHT AT NINE O'CLOCK~~
Nathan POV:
I bought Jenny a necklace for Christmas. It shows her how much I love her. She texts me to come outside.

"Mom, dad, Jenny wants to talk to me about something outside. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." I say. Mom gives me a sad look.

"Alright bud." Dad says.

I look puzzled. I go outside. I see Jenny on her porch looking upset. It's strange, since everything on her porch she had isn't there anymore. I walk over to her. When she sees me, she stands up.

"Hey Nathan." She says, hesitating.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I say. I come up to her and kiss her. I grab her waist, and I pull her closer to me. She pulls back and leaves her face on my chest.

"Please don't make this any harder." She says. I look down at her, and she looks up at me.

"Harder? What do you mean?"

She takes a deep breath, and closes her eyes. "I don't know how to say this, Nathan." She croaks. "I haven't been telling you something."

"What?"

"It's not something like that."

"Than what is it? Please Jenny, I need to know-"

"IM MOVING!" She yells. I stop. My heart shatters.

"You're- You're what?"

"Moving." She says quieter this time. "And we're leaving tonight. We're just waiting for the moving truck to come so we can load the boxes in."

"How long have you known about this?"

"Eight months." She mutters.

"And you didn't tell either Me, Kendra, or Troy?!"

"I'm sorry, Nathan. I didn't want that to be the main conversation for eight months. I wanted everything to be normal for the last time. I'm sorry."

I hug her and she buries her face in my chest and sobs. "I'm sorry." She says.

"Don't be." I say.

"Jenny, come here and pack up the rest of your clothes!" Doreen yells from inside. Jenny looks at me.

"I'll be back." She says, and runs inside. I go to my driveway and sit down. I can't believe she's moving.

A flashback comes into my head....

Why would you want to marry me anyway?-Jenny

So I could kiss you anytime I want-Nathan

We laugh.

That joke never gets old-Jenny

It never has, never will be-Nathan

I choke up a sob, that's strange because I only cry in rare situations. Jenny was the love of my life, and now she's leaving on CHRISTMAS EVE.

She walks over to me. "The moving truck will be here in one minute." She says.

"I really will miss you, Jenny."

"I will, too."

"Do Troy and Kendra know?"

"Yeah. Each one of them are coming to say goodbye. But they'll probably be late."

We laugh lightly. "The two stooges."

The moving truck pulls into her driveway. She looks at me, and both of us have tears in our eyes. Without thinking, we kiss.

She wraps her arms around my neck and I hold her hips. Her hand brushes against my cheek, like it always does when we kiss.

"Come on Jenny, we need to go!" Her dad yells. We pull back.

"I love you, Nathan."

I kiss her and pull back. "I love you, Jenny. And before you leave," I take out the necklace. "Merry Christmas."

She kisses my cheek and takes the necklace. She hands me a watch that probably costs $1000.

"Keep it, no excuses." She says. She kisses me and pulls back.

She runs to her car, and looks back at me once, and then they drive away. My parents come from behind me, and hug me.

I continue to silently sob, and they comfort me. Hannah and Julie saw what happened, and they come and join the hug.

"I'm sorry Nathan." Julie says.

Kendra and Troy come running towards us. "We're late, aren't we?" Troy asks. I nod. They frown.

"Jenny's gone." Kendra says.

Jenny's gone. I loved her, and she's gone.